University of Pennsylvania Department of Medicine Primary Care Residency Program

Course last offered: Fall 2002Page last updated: October 29, 2008

Physician Activism and Advocacy: A Course for Resident Physicians

This two-week course is designed for all of the Internal Medicine Primary Care Residents at the University of Pennsylvania. It is being implemented in November 2002. It is much more limited in scope than medical student courses due to the time constraints in a residency curriculum. Nonetheless, it strives to expose all of the primary care residents to the fundamental skills of activism and methods of incorporating activism into a medical career.

We provide structured interactive sessions in Week 1 that cover basic activism skills such as strategy development and media advocacy. In Week 2, residents are expected to present a mock campaign strategy, deliver a speech on their assigned topic, perform an interview with a mock reporter, and make a mock lobby visit to their targeted policy maker. In addition, participants will write an op/ed piece and a fact sheet on their assigned topic. All of the residents will be encouraged to carry out these activities beyond the mock exercises.

Course Coordinator

David Grande, M.D.Resident, Department of MedicineUniversity of Pennsylvania

Public Citizen, Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation

Together, two separate corporate entities called Public Citizen, Inc. and Public Citizen Foundation, Inc., form Public Citizen. Both entities are part of the same overall organization, and this Web site refers to the two organizations collectively as Public Citizen.

Although the work of the two components overlaps, some activities are done by one component and not the other. The primary distinction is with respect to lobbying activity. Public Citizen, Inc., an IRS § 501(c)(4) entity, lobbies Congress to advance Public Citizen’s mission of protecting public health and safety, advancing government transparency, and urging corporate accountability. Public Citizen Foundation, however, is an IRS § 501(c)(3) organization. Accordingly, its ability to engage in lobbying is limited by federal law, but it may receive donations that are tax-deductible by the contributor. Public Citizen Inc. does most of the lobbying activity discussed on the Public Citizen Web site. Public Citizen Foundation performs most of the litigation and education activities discussed on the Web site.

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To become a member of Public Citizen, click here. To become a member and make an additional tax-deductible donation to Public Citizen Foundation, click here.